Shyamalan to rewrite “Green” and cements “Avatar”

Variety reports that when writer/director M. Night Shyamalan traveled fromPhiladelphia to Hollywood recently to cement his plan to turn the cartoon “Avatar: The Last Airbender” into a live-action film for Paramount, he and his new CAA representatives showed several studios a new script he’s written.

Called The Green Effect, the film is about a large-scale, cataclysmic environmental crisis that turns into a struggle by mankind to overcome nature.

The unveiling of the script did not immediately create a green effect for Shyamalan, adds the trade, as no studio liked it enough to take itoff the table. Studios are understandably wary, since Shyamalan is coming off the first failure of his career, Lady in the Water.

Shyamalan walked away from his round of meetings with ideas and notesand has gone home to do a rewrite. He will return within a month, armed with a script that will bear a new title, along with a cast and budget.

If the revamp scores Shyamalan a deal, he’ll likely make the film before the “Avatar” pic.

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I'm glad he's not getting discouraged and that he's doing the rewrites! It sounds like he's really listening to what people have to say (something he didn't do on LiTW, which cost him his relationship with Disney). This can only be good for Night and his career. I'm very hopeful!

While I'm not suprised the studios aren't immediately picking up M. Night's film, it saddens me to see it actually happen. I friend told me yesterday that even though he liked Lady in the Water, it was essentially a failure in every way. I couldn't disagree with that more, I think that financial success and critical reaction are very superficial ways to measure a films overall success, and the jury isn't in yet on Lady in the Water. Only time will tell if it had a great effect on the human consciousness as a whole. I hope it does, as it's certainly had a profound effect on me. However, M. Night probably knows at this point he needs to make a movie that will be both publically accepted and spiritually profound. Despite the studios reluctance, it sounds to me like M. Night may have another Signs on his hands here, and I find it hard to beleive that this Green Effect will not ultimately become a successful film. With no stretch of my imagination can I call any of his films true failures.

I think alien movies in general, when done well, tend to be pretty successful, just because of the mindset of our current culture. People used to tell stories of ghosts capturing them in the night. Now we get abducted by aliens. With a director like M. Night making a movie that explores our society's greatest paranoia, I find it hard to imagine it won't make a lot of money.

:laughing: I think a few restrictions will help keep Shyamalan focused and on his game. Too much freedom can be a bad thing and even though I didn't hate LITW I think he should have listened to some of the things people said about the script. Can't wait to see him back on his best game because I am still a huge fan of his work.

I hope the new script gets sold quickly. I can't wait for another M. Night movie, especially the aliens one. I'm not wild about the idea of him writing cartoons and kids movies because I think it's sort of a waste of his talent. I think he's best in writing dramas, thrillers and maybe action adventures.

Please, FIRST failure? Are we forgetting Signs and The Village? The man has only ever made one good movie, and that's Sixth Sense. He's already falling behind, he should give up now. Besides, the Avatards might come and rough him up. I don't want to have to restrain the twenty of them I know.

Wow… Signs and The Village are great. I love both. And no offense, but if your comment disappears, it's not because you're being negative, but because you're calling avatar fans “Avatards.” Also, if you had a job and started to “fall behind” would you give up? I don't think so.

I agree with Specter too. I mean…Avatards? Hey, I'm an Avatar fan, man! And I'm pretty sure you have never seen a single episode of the show, cuz if you had, you'd be saying it's great. BECAUSE IT IS GREAT! The best show made in America in a long, really long time. :angry: